U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Whooping

Cranes:

The Road

to Survival
Introduction Whooping cranes are one of the best

known of all endangered species and

symbolize the struggle

to maintain the

vanishing creatures of

this world. One scientist

estimated that only

1400 whoopers survived

by 1860. Their

population continued to

decline due to drainage

of wetlands, conversion

of grasslands to agriculture, and

hunting until only 15 or 16 cranes

survived the winter of 1941-42 in

Texas. The present world population

is about 450 wild and captive

whooping cranes (2005). Only one

self-sustaining population survives in

the wild; these birds spend the winter

at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

on the Texas coast and nest in Wood

Buffalo National Park in the

Northwest Territories of Canada,

migrating 2,500 miles twice annually.

There are approximately 200 birds in

this flock. Over the last 50 years this

population has increased an average

of 4. 6 percent annually. If this rate

continues, the population wintering

along the Texas coast will total

400 birds by the year 2020.

Adult whooping

crane.

Photograph by Tom

Stehn

Juvenile whooping crane with adult.

FWS Photograph
Identification

The United States and Canada work

cooperatively to recover this species

to portions of its original range. Three

main captive flocks have been

developed to produce cranes for

reintroduction to the wild. These

flocks are located at Patuxent Wildlife

Research Center near Laurel,

Maryland; at the International Crane

Foundation near Baraboo, Wisconsin;

and the Calgary Zoo, Calgary, Alberta,

Canada. Starting in 1993, captive

crane juveniles have been released

into the wild in central Florida, in an

experimental effort to introduce a

nonmigratory flock. Beginning in 2001,

whooping cranes taught a migration

behind ultralight aircraft between

Wisconsin and Florida have been

introduced into the Eastern

United States.

Whooping cranes are magnificent

birds, unique to North America. They

are the tallest bird in North America,

standing nearly 5 feet tall, with a

long, sinuous neck and long legs. They

have red and black markings on their

heads with long, pointed beaks. Their

snow-white body feathers are

accented by jet-black wing tips

(visible only when the wings are

extended). Their wingspan measures

7-feet across. During the fall,

juveniles have rusty brown plumage

with some white adult feathers just

beginning to appear. Whoopers fly

with a slow wingbeat, straight neck,

and legs trailing out beyond their tail.

Whooping cranes in flight.

Photograph by Steve Hillebrand

Whooping cranes

at Patuxent.

Photograph by Robin

Doughty
Natural History

Two legally hunted wildlife species,

sandhill cranes and snow geese, are

similar in appearance to whooping

cranes. They and other birds which

are sometimes misidentified as

whoopers are illustrated in this

leaflet. The sandhill crane is gray and

smaller with a wingspan of 5-feet, but

sometimes appear whitish in bright

light. Sandhill cranes occur in flocks

of two to hundreds. Snow geese and

white pelicans are white with black

wingtips (geese) or wing edges

(pelicans) but both have short legs

that do not extend beyond the tail

when in flight. Snow geese generally

occur in large flocks, are much

smaller than whooping cranes, and fly

with a rapid wingbeat. White pelicans

fly with their neck folded and can be

distinguished by their large yellow

bill. Herons and egrets also fly with

their long necks folded.

Our fascination with whoopers

partially results from their loud

vocalizations and elaborate courtship

rituals which help strengthen pair

bonds. Courtship behavior consists of

calling, wing flapping, head bowing,

and tremendous

leaps into the air

by both birds.

These dances

begin in late

winter as a

prelude to

mating, but may

occur at other

times as

whoopers defend

their territories or show excitement.

Whooping cranes pair for life but will

re-mate following the death of a

mate. Whoopers may survive up to 30

years in the wild and 35 to 40 years in

captivity. They generally begin to

produce eggs when 4 or 5 years old

and lay two eggs but seldom are

successful in rearing more than one

chick. The nests are built forming

Snow geese

Dancing cranes.

FWS Photograph

White pelicans

Great egret

Above Photographs,

FWS
The Rocky

Mountain

Population

The First

Experiment

small platforms made of bulrushes,

cattails and sedges. Wetlands are the

main source of food for whoopers

where they find crabs, crayfish, frogs,

clams, large insects and minnows.

In Canada, the young chicks feed on

dragonfly larvae. In the uplands

whooping cranes feed on small

grains, acorns and berries. At night

they stand (roost) in shallow water

where they are safe from coyotes

and bobcats.

Fall migration begins in September.

Whooping cranes normally migrate

as a single pair, family group, or in

small flocks, sometimes

accompanying sandhill cranes. Flocks

of up to ten whoopers have been

observed feeding at stopover areas.

They migrate during the day and stop

every night to feed and rest. They

prefer to stop at isolated areas away

from human disturbance. It is during

these stops as they make a short

flight to find food that they can be

killed colliding with power lines, the

greatest source of mortality for

fledged whooping cranes. Between

mid-October and mid-December, they

arrive on their wintering grounds.

Spring migration begins in March and

they reach the breeding grounds by

early May.

Between 1975-1988, whooping crane

eggs were placed in sandhill crane

nests in Idaho. The foster parents

reared the whooping cranes and

taught them how to survive in the

Sandhill cranes

with whooping

crane.

FWS Photograph

Sandhill cranes take flight.

Photograph by Dick Stenzel
The Second and

Third Flocks

wild, when to migrate and where to

spend the winter. The population

peaked at 33 in 1985, but these birds

never paired and produced young.

The absence of breeding is thought to

have been caused by improper sexual

imprinting since most species of birds

identify their parents or foster

parents as a model for their future

mate. The last remaining whooping

crane in the Rocky Mountains died in

2002. No more whoopers will be

introduced into the Rocky Mountains.

In the 1980s, scientists developed a

technique of raising cranes in

captivity called costume-rearing

where crane handlers are dressed in

a costume that somewhat resembles

a crane. The birds are properly

imprinted on their own species with

models as well as live cranes kept in

adjacent pens. Since the birds are

kept isolated from non-costumed

humans, the birds grow up to be wild.

Starting in 1993,

captive

whooping cranes

were released

annually in

central Florida.

Since cranes

learn migration

from their

parents, these

cranes raised in

captivity had never been taught a

migration and stay throughout the

year in Florida. There are currently

about 60 nonmigratory whooping

cranes in Florida (2005). Some have

paired up, nested and fledged chicks,

proving they were properly

imprinted. Predation by bobcats

continues to be the main source of

mortality for the Florida whoopers.

How would you teach a flock of

whooping cranes to migrate? A group

called the Whooping Crane Eastern

Partnership began in 2001

Feeding crane

chicks.

Photograph by Carl R.

Sams II

Whooping cranes

learn to migrate.

Photograph by

Operation Migration

Crane chick and

puppet.

FWS Photograph
Viewing,

Protection,

and Reporting

Sightings

introducing costume-reared

whooping cranes into the wild. The

cranes in their first fall are led in

migration behind ultralight aircraft

between the Necedah National

Wildlife Refuge in Wisconsin and the

Chassahowitzka NWR on the West

Coast of Florida. The migration can

take as long as two months to make

the 1,200-mile journey. The cranes

are then provided food all winter at a

release site. In the spring, the cranes

take off completely on their own to

return back to Wisconsin and learn

wild behavior, and will continue to

migrate the rest of their lives. There

are currently 47 cranes in this

eastern migratory population (2005),

with about 15 more juvenile cranes

led south every fall.

There are three places in the United

States where whoopers can reliably

be viewed. Whooping cranes are a

major tourist attraction on the

central Texas coast in winter, with an

Figure 2. The

principal known

breeding and

wintering areas

of the whooping

crane (Grus

americana)

(adapted from

Meine and

Archibald 1996).
annual festival held at the end of

February in Port Aransas. Tour

boats offer trips from Rockport,

Texas to view cranes along the Gulf

Intracoastal Waterway, and one pair

can usually be seen from an

observation tower at the Aransas NWR

near Austwell. Whooping cranes from

the reintroduced flocks can best be

viewed south of Orlando, Florida, or at

the Necedah NWR in Wisconsin.

Sandhill crane and snow goose

hunters should be on the look out at

all times during the various hunts for

whooping cranes. Whooping cranes

are protected by the Endangered

Species Act of the United States.

Penalties for shooting a whooping

crane can be up to 1 year in jail and a

$100,000 fine. The Act authorizes

payment of up to $2500 for

information leading to the arrest and

conviction of any person harassing,

shooting, or attempting to take a

whooping crane. Contact your local

State Game and Fish Office, or the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for

further information, or to report

possible violations.

If you see whooping cranes during the

migration periods of March-May or

September-December, please report

the observation to your State Game

and Fish Office or to the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Grand Island,

Nebraska, phone 308/382-6468.

Although giant strides have been

made in safeguarding their habitat

and preventing shooting, whooping

cranes today remain very much

endangered. Primary threats include

collisions with power lines in

migration, loss of stopover habitat,

loss of genetic diversity, disease, and

a decline in habitat quality at

Aransas due to loss of freshwater

inflows or a potential oil spill. Global

warming and associated sea level

rise will potentially make the current

Threats
winter marshes too deep for the

cranes to use, and could change the

climate on their northern nesting

grounds. Young crane chicks may be

susceptible to new diseases

introduced into North America,

including West Nile Virus. For the

species to survive, mankind will have

to remain vigilant and devise

strategies to counter these threats.

Although the whooping crane is a

tremendous success story for

conservation, the public needs to

continue to support the species as

future chapters are being written.

There are numerous web sites to learn

about whooping cranes. Sites include:

www. whoopingcrane. com

www. bringbackthecranes. org

www. operationmigration. org

www. pwrc. usgs. gov/cranes. htm

www. savingcranes. org

www. fws. gov/southwest/refuges/

aransas. html

Web Sites

Whooping crane

Photograph by Steve

Van Riper
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Division of Ecological Services

P. O. Box 1306

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87103

505/248-6920

505/248-6922 FAX

http://southwest. fws. gov

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge

P. O. Box 100

Austwell, Texas 77950

361/286-3559/3533

361/286-3722 FAX

May 2005